WASHINGTON, DC – Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn today released the following statement after President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union Address before a joint session of Congress.

“Tonight the president reminded us that when we faced our greatest challenges as a nation, we conquered them not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans. Economic growth and job creation is our greatest challenge today, and just as we did when the Russians launched Sputnik, I agree that we must respond by generating a wave of innovation that creates new industries and jobs in America.

“The president made clear that he has shifted gears from the crisis mode he was forced into two years ago to the creative mode Americans yearn. Facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, President Obama came to office and launched a major recovery effort. Two years later as he reported tonight, the stock market is back, corporate profits are up and the economy is growing again. Now it’s time to build on that progress by working together to spur job creation. I hope my Republican colleagues will join us in this effort. There are many areas on which we share common ground, the question is whether we will meet there to make a difference.

“But we must be sure that as we build on our recovery we do not leave communities behind. I propose that as we make economic investments going forward, we replicate a measure I included in a section of the Recovery Act that I call the 10-20-30 formula—ten percent of recovery resources are directed to communities with 20 percent or more of their population have been under the federal poverty level for the last 30 years. After all, we are only as strong as our weakest link and economic strength in communities with chronic unemployment and underemployment is an important measure of our economic success.”